


These Days

by LeedleLee



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Archive still won't let me add the paragraph breaks god help me, As in alpha provides for the others and they're alive because of him, Hybrids, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multi, Pack Dynamics, Pack Family, Post-Apocalypse, Slow Burn, Tags to be added, Traditional alpha/beta/omega, Traditional pack values, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 23:33:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15375840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeedleLee/pseuds/LeedleLee
Summary: As the group prepared for bed their alpha calls their attention. They all look at him with this twinge in their eye, this need for leadership that he’ll answer as long as he can. The omegas have this childlike hope deep in there, practically shining in the firelight as they stare. The beta’s eyes are calmer, masked, but admiration was clear.On hiatus!





	1. Chapter 1

The days are getting short. The air is becoming chilled, the trees and the bushes are tensing where they stand. Everything merges together now, every being relying on another for survival more than ever. Fear fills the air, anxieties shining in eyes and ears stand high, poised for every little noise the world creates.

Harvey speaks of regrets when the sun sets. It starts with distant whispers, so quiet the others have to wonder if he’s speaking to himself at first. He whispers about the days gone by, a lost scavenging experience or a moment of hesitation that cost them. The fire is reflected in his eyes as he looks around the group, keeping his chin lowered and brow furrowed. He reminds them of settlements they found destroyed, of fires ravaging otherwise perfect cities. Toss in a sad chuckle here and there, and the man is little more than a depressed ball under a blanket.

Eli hates him for it. He wants nothing more than to shut the wolf up, to cry out for silence or cover his mouth with a muffler. Anything for the quiet to return, for the only sound to be the crackling of the fire they sit around. God, he misses the warm weather, when they would work their hardest for days so they could lounge in the sun with still-fresh soda they find and joke and mock one another openly. Chris, their holy, steady lion, would sit back with this little smile on him as the wolves tugged at each other’s tails. Eli would bask in the sunlight, stretched out and soaking in every bit of vitamin D he could. 

Isaac listens with pained, ironic smiles. For the most part he is quiet, but sometimes he will nod along, adding in little details he noticed during his time. He watches the others as the stories are told, looking at the small twitches in Eli’s eyebrows, watching for Chris’ glancing, or how Harvey will talk with his hands during the larger stories. If they have alcohol, he’ll begin to drink. He doesn’t notice how much sooner the stories end when he does.

Chris listens to every word. Every story he remembers as though they were just yesterday, and he won’t let himself forget a single detail. He memorizes the stories to compare to his own memories later, when the omegas have fallen asleep and he watches the stars.

The days begin to get more frigid, and soon the group is deep into winter. They are lucky when mother nature is kind to them in that little snow falls, although it does stick around for a while longer than usual. Harvey makes use of the snow, collecting piles of the top layers to boil for extra water. Eli gets bored one day and decides to use it for a science experiment, tossing still bubbling water into the air. Everyone in camp panicked when they saw a large amount of steam coming from near the fire, assuming some dry grass got caught in the wind and set aflame.

Chris scolds him for the waste, taking him by the ear and manhandling him to the pile of snow while handing him a cooking pot. He tells him he is now in charge of ensuring they have clean water when the water bottles all run empty. Eli huffs and pouts at him but obeys, knowing better than to rebel against the lion.

Eli piles the snow into a pot and brings it back to the fire. A grill top was placed over the flame and he removes one of the pots that has finished boiling to set on a small patch of snow, flattened by previous use, and replaces it with the new one. Sitting on a rough, scratchy blanket used for anything but human coverage, he grabs a nearby funnel and pulls the basket of empty water bottles closer.

Watching him from nearby, Isaac hesitates over a book on winter plants. Chris, sitting next to him, huffs and plucks the book from him. Without making eye contact he tells Isaac simply to go. Isaac gives him an acknowledging huff before he stands and goes over to Eli. Chris rolls his eyes, going back to his garden work.

Isaac sits next to Eli and takes the bottle and funnel from him. He wags his finger at the feline and sets the bottle away, instead picking up a two litre bottle. Eli scoffs and tips his chin up, pouting his lips as he watches Isaac set the funnel up once more. He waits for everything to be in place before pouring clean water into the container. Isaac gives him an approving hum he relishes in.

Two hours pass before the bottles have all been filled and the snow pile depleted. Harvey returns to scrutinise the water, looking at a bottle for periods of time others would deem too long. He checks for any specks or signs of uncleanliness. When everything has passed he claps Isaac and Eli on the shoulders, thanks them, and gathers the bottles in baskets to return to the pantry.

When Isaac looks back at Eli with a wide grin, Eli can’t help but to mirror it. He puffs out his chest with pride and braces his hands on his hips, earning a playful scoff and push from the other omega. He asks about dinner, and Isaac groans and mocks him only for a second before gesturing him to follow and wandering off to find the others. They eat rabbit that night.

Harvey is sitting at the corner of the barricade when Chris approaches him from behind. The beta watches the few leaves left on the trees sway with the light wind, stares longingly at the pink sunset. Chris waits a few moments before he sits next to the wolf, a hand going to his shoulder. Harvey looks up at him, and they maintain a mutual understanding in the end of the world. For a moment they accept their fate. Only for a moment.

Swallowing his pride, Harvey leans over to rest against his alpha. His eyes blink shut as Chris accepts the new position, settling into his seat and glancing down when Harvey moves his blanket, a small offering he doesn’t want to accept. He’s never been a demanding alpha, but he must admit the warmth is a welcome change. As he tightens the blanket over them he notices Harvey has turned into dead weight, asleep on his shoulder within minutes. He doesn’t mind, and lets Harvey sleep while he can. He’ll wake when the sun is gone.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Chris gathers his posse in the centre of their constructed home. He has laid rifles out on a table, four in count, and hands them to each of the others. He assures them there are no bullets inside, for everyone’s safety in the long run. Resting the butt of his rifle against his hip, which Harvey happily mirrors, Chris looks over his group and nods, telling them they need to learn to aim, insisting it’s just in case; a last ditch effort they shouldn’t need to reach. He tells them to never aim at another human unless necessary, to squeeze the trigger, not pull, and to only hold their finger over the trigger when planning on shooting.

Eli was the most eager of the pack, taking aim at piles of leaves or posts around the area. He swings the gun around with the barrel still pointing out, and Chris reminds him of the first rule, demonstrating how to hold the rifle when turning. Eli learns quickly and has few other problems.

Isaac knows his way around a gun and is calm with the teachings. He stays quiet through the lectures and doesn’t aim as much as much as Eli. He chooses instead to look over the specs and ensure everything is alright, no bending or nicks to be seen. When Chris isn’t paying attention he cocks his rifle and takes aim at a landed bird, waiting a few seconds before pulling-- squeezing-- the trigger. The gun clicks. The bird lives.

Harvey barely moves the gun off his hip at all. He’s a scavenger, a knife wielder, for christ’s sake. He’s always hated guns, from the noise to how damn bulky it was. When Chris tells him to just learn for the sake of emergency he huffs and insists that anyone, especially he, could figure out a gun in an emergency. Beyond that, he would prefer to stay sneaky in such a situation. Chris doesn’t fight him on it, not with how irritated guns get him by default.

When Eli asks about the bullets, Chris tells him to wait for future lessons. Eli is almost offended his leader finds him unfit for the task, but Chris is quick to remind him of the quiet they must maintain at all times, and Eli soon backs down, eyes at the trigger of the rifle. Maybe he won’t even like the guns when the time comes, but he still longs for the rebellion of a loud crack, just one quick bang. How much harm can it really create, he wonders, homesick for any form of noise in the desolate land they reside in now.

Chris gathers the guns and lays them on the table again. He pays no attention to the others as he wraps the weapons in long white cloth, handling them carefully even as they remain empty. The others know they’re free to go and begin to wander off, Eli following after Isaac while Harvey stays close to Chris to help him when need be.

Eli interrogates Isaac when they’re out of earshot. He asks about threats to the camp, asking if the other omega has smelled or noticed anything out of place that would get their calm alpha worked up over guns. Isaac seems bored with him when he tells Eli to not worry, that nothing is out of the ordinary and Chris certainly wasn’t ‘worked up.’ Maybe Eli is the worked up one, getting more antsy for action with each passing day. A bored omega is not a good omega.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dogs, goats, and horses, oh my!

Chris has found a map. From where, the others don’t ask, but they huddle around him as he circles where they are with a marker. He crosses out areas they’ve visited, marks down wooded areas, and taps at an open space that showed no significance to the mapmakers. Recalling an old farmhouse from a hiking trip, Chris tells them his plan, the same plan they’ve followed since this all began: get in, get everything, get out. The area was quiet when he came across it, but he took notice of the old man walking from the barn only a stone’s throw away from the house. There’s something there, he assures them. The trek will be worth it.

The group mumbles amongst themselves their mutual hatred for leaving their safe area unguarded, nodding as they all accept the necessities to their trip. They have each learned on their own time that, eventually, what they have in this world shall be left behind. Shoulders are leaned on, and Chris’ croons lull them to sleep.

Chris wakes them in the morning. For Isaac he taps at his shoulder, for Eli he tugs at his hair, and for Harvey he whispers. They sit up in a synchronised fashion, rubbing eyes and heads and looking amongst each other. The sun has barely begun to rise, the sky a mixture of deep greys and promising pinks. Together they dress in fresh clothes that have long lost the scent of soap, mumbles of fantasies swirling among them, each about what they wish to find ahead of them.

They set out after having been awake for only twenty minutes, each of them carrying empty duffel bags slung over their shoulders. Chris carries two. He leads his pack through a thin wooded area, avoiding the roads but staying close enough to know the way and hear anything out of the ordinary. The group is quiet, half asleep and running on instincts as the sun struggles to break through over the horizon.

When they reach the farmhouse it’s as silent as one could expect. The house is a deep brown, antique by the looks of it, and boasts a tall roof over two stories. Curtains have covered all visible windows. Behind the home is the barn and an empty corral. An old wind chime sings to them, and Harvey breaks away from the group to hop onto the porch and grab it from the cord it’s hanging from, laying it down in the grass with a disgusted pull of his lips.

The others climb up behind him as Chris tries the door. It’s good news when they find it locked, if someone had been here already the door would swing open. But now they need to get inside. Chris figures it shouldn’t be too hard, if the memory of the reaching-frail-age old man was anything to go by, so he looks around before down at his feet. There’s a worn welcome mat, brown and black and showing its age. He leans down and looks underneath, a small smile appearing on him when he finds the key, and he once more finds himself homesick for the simplicities of a life before.

Chris heads in and his pack follows him. They spread out easily in a practiced fashion while staying close enough in case of anything negative. The house gives them all a strange vibe, as everything inside seems to be just as it was before this mess happened. Not one item is array on the shelves, no overturned tables, nothing out of place. The only thing telling them no life was inside was the thin layer of dust resting on tabletops.

At the lack of trouble, they gather in the kitchen. The can’t believe their luck, each of them sporting a healthy grin as they look at one another. They murmur their happiness before going back to work, searching cabinets and, hell, even the fridge for items that may still be good. They gather dishes and glasses and canned items, even a jug of water. Forks, spoons, knives, and now they’re chatting about living here. They all know it’s a daydream, but it is a fine one.

Eli is the one to notice the note on a cabinet. He glances at the others before reaching over and picking it up. He folds it with care before sliding it into his duffel for later reading.

Single file, they head upstairs. Each go into different rooms; Chris taking the master bedroom, Eli taking a guest room, Isaac checking storage, while Harvey looks through the bathroom. The air is filled with a calm and sweet aroma, each of their scents blending together to create their own unity. They are calm, confident. Things are looking up. 

After searching the house as efficiently as they could they meet again downstairs, looking at each other with their disbelief etched on their features. They compliment each other for the speed of searching before turning their attention toward their mighty alpha, gushing over him for finding the map and remembering this place, practically kissing his feet for providing for them. Isaac holds his hand as Eli keeps hold of his bicep while Harvey taps at his cheek. Chris basks, but not for long. They should be moving.

The pack locks the front door again and exits from the back, Chris stuffing the keys they found in his pocket for later use. He gives the barn a vague look before back to his group, cocking his eyebrow for the general consensus. At the eager nods he smiles a little and mirrors the gesture, waving for them to follow behind him, not next, and they obey as they walk toward the structure. 

Chris’ tail raises into a straight line, asking them for utmost silence as he presses close to the barn door. He hears faint shuffling but nothing more, definitely not the sounds fallen humans have been creating around them for months now. He nods and pulls a switchblade from his back pocket, flicking the blade out as his other hand grabs at the door. His team spans out to help him open it as quiet as they can. Chris pokes his head inside when the entrance has become human size, tensing and watching what was before him.

There’s a faint sniff from Harvey, who reaches out to hook a finger around Chris’ belt loop and tug. He hears a faint chuckle and glances toward Isaac and Eli, a pouted frown on him. When Chris leans back out, he’s grinning at them. They know their alpha’s smile, but his grin they don’t get too often. He’s bright teeth and crinkled eyes now, clapping them on their shoulders and giving gentle squeezes. On his own he picks up the barn door and slides it open, gesturing inside. The pack looks in and chokes on their breath.

Livestock. Actual, breathing livestock. There’s a small selection of horses, a few clucking chickens and three roosters, two goats. They’ve become a little skinnier than expected from their lack of food, but they all seem to be alive and well. Perfect for the taking. Absolutely perfect. 

The group manages to hold in their joyous laughter until they get inside, clutching at each other and bouncing on their heels as they celebrate the luck. The luck, oh the luck. This is better than any of their daydreams from the morning. This goes beyond luck, this goes into the planets and stars aligning just for them. When they peel away from each other they notice their alpha walking toward the corner, and they hear the faint growling at the same time. Eli backs off right away, whining and wrapping his tail around himself as he recognises the sound. The other omega and beta, on the other hand, advance just as their alpha did, peeking over his shoulder to get a glance at what their main focus is now. Harvey’s hands reach for his knife, before he pauses.

Lying in the corner of the barn, in a small pile of hay, lays a cream coloured dog. Her coat is thick and she growls at the newcomers, squinting at them and curling tighter into herself. Chris mumbles how she must be why the animals are even alive as he drops to one knee to hold his hand out. The pyrenees hesitates, glancing at the others and sniffling. She recognises no alarm in the other animals, which relaxes her a bit as she leans out to smell the lion’s hand. She seems to let out a sigh, her body shifting as she nuzzles her head into Chris. A yip comes from her belly, and the two behind the alpha are immediately cooing over the sight of the pup crawling its way away from the mother’s fur. 

Eli groans and rubs his face with his palm, stepping away from the canines to look at anything else for the moment. He walks to the chickens and startles when they do, jumping at the alarmed cry they let out as he approaches. Huffing, he lowers himself to one knee and holds out his hand, watching the chickens chatter to each other. They give him dumb looks before walking up and pecking at his hand. He swats at them, and they stop the pecking to inspect him further. With a faint, almost surprised chuckle, he looks up and around him, stopping when he sees two chicken wire rolls behind them, one thick where the other is more thin. He smirks and gets back to his feet to collect the wire, walking back to the group.

Chris gives the two behind him an approving nod and they dive into the dogs, Isaac wrapping around the mother as Harvey scoops up the pup into his arms. He gives them a patient look before wandering over to the horses. There are six in total, each sleek and they all appear to have been well taken care of. They don’t shy away from him much, and one of them is still saddled. Taking pity on the animal, who knows how long it’s been strapped in, he begins to unbuckle the saddle.

Eli comes up behind him to offer a hand getting the bulky leather down. He glances around the room and pops off the idea that Chris should be the one getting the largest horse, a thick black creature in the last pin. The alpha blinks at him and turns his head to look, and he’s actually impressed with the war horse. Fitted with a single white sock the horse is otherwise a deep shade of black with calm, stoic eyes. He hears the other members of his pack agreeing, and turns to watch each of them walk to the horse they want to claim then. Eli takes a brown mare with white sprinkled down her back, and he calls her Gingerbread. Isaac takes an affinity for a painted steed, mumbling a few names to himself before exclaiming the name War. Harvey fawns over a burnt red mare, still holding the pup as he rubs at her neck. He happily refers to her as October.

Chris glances around them before he finally accepts the offer they gave him, making his way over to the war horse. The male snorts at him impatiently, bobbing his head. Chris smirks and pats his back, mumbling about how he feels they’ll get along just fine. No matter their relationship, the pack will still need saddles. So he leaves the horse alone again to walk the walls of the barn, coming across a small opening holding various saddles and blankets. He calls his group over and they collect, each of them done wasting time as they get to work saddling their new horses.

When questions arise of feeding the animals, Harvey and Isaac offer to return to the farm to collect hay. Chris recalls reading about chicken’s diets and their preference for berries, corn, and sunflowers. Eli blurts out that a goat will eat any damn thing as one nibbles on the ankle of his jeans.

The farm animals are sorted out. Up a ladder were a few racoon traps, and they sort the chickens into one before stuffing the three roosters into the others, one in each trap. Each will ride with a trap on their lap. Isaac and Eli will lead the goats by a rope. Chris and Harvey will lead the other two horses the same way. It’s risky, each of them full of items from the house and now this, but when Chris pokes his head out of the barn he assures them that it’s barely reaching seven in the morning. The area will still be silent when they traverse. After some struggling with the roosters, some shoulder shrugs to protect against the added weight, and tugs at the goats with encouragement from the dogs, the team is ready to head out. Chris heaves a deep breath and looks over his pack, proud of each of them for what they have provided to the team today. He tells them so, and they beam at him. They begin their ride back home.


	4. Chapter 4

Chores have been added, but morale has raised nonetheless. When the pack returned from their scavenging they went to work building a fence for the livestock. They stick four posts in the ground, using wood meant to be cut for the fire. They find no issue in the loss, there’s no point in having a fire if your goat is just going to wander into it. When the posts are set in the ground they roll the chicken wire around, creating a fine square corral to the side of their encampment. They admit to each other that none of them are sure what to do for a door, so Chris climbs into the enclosure as the others hand him the animals. A rooster pinches some skin on his hand, which Harvey happily bandages while cooing a scold to the culprit. The goats wiggle plenty but there are no spills as they are carried. Eli is kicked in the gut when he picks one up without notice. When they reach the horses, it is unanimous to provide them with their own enclosure for the safety of each animal. They don’t see it as a waste of good chicken wire, they can’t afford to risk a horse getting spooked and making a mess of the camp. They go to work again.

The sun is setting by the time the second fence is up. It has three walls, the fourth being made of the other fence. The horses seem content where they are, strolling lazily and nudging their new owner’s hands when extended. It’s a relief, Chris notes, stating that a pissed off horse isn’t one they would want in their encampment.

As the gang gathers around their fire, built tall and proud in the new moon night, Eli whispers to them. He pulls items out of his duffle, the letter and two handfuls of eggs. He is praised thoroughly and Harvey sets out to find a skillet. Chris asks about the letter, and Eli confesses he hadn’t yet read it since he collected it. Handing the paper over to the alpha, the cat huddles closer to Isaac for warmth despite the heat radiating from the fire.

The beta returns and sets to fry the eggs. His nose is wrinkled as he does, and he only relaxes when Chris begins to read the letter. In it are the details of the beginning days, how the farmer first discovered the undead in his barn when one banged against the door. Only a little boy in a ragged shirt, the farmer wept as he had to fire into the socket of the boy’s missing eye and kill him. He and his wife hid in their house as long as they could, two weeks exactly when their sons arrived at their step. His wife sobbed with relief when the two were seen unscathed. They promised a safe area, free of the new monsters, where they could live proper. The farmer finishes the letter saying they will go there, and all who find the letter are welcome to what is being known as New Eden. There is a signature, and a scrawled map.

Silence falls on the camp. Chris’ fingers twitch against the paper and the omegas glance toward one another. They hold their breath as the alpha lays the letter down in front of him. When he taps his finger against it, they know their answer. They will find New Eden.

As the group prepared for bed Chris calls their attention. They all look at him with this twinge in their eye, this need for leadership that he’ll answer as long as he can. The omegas have this childlike hope deep in there, practically shining in the firelight as they stare. The beta’s eyes are calmer, masked, but admiration was clear. They fidget as the alpha tells them of another search the next morning, scared to roll the dice again after their day at the farmhouse. Chris reassures them they’ll be slow and careful, not looking for anything fancy, some routine sweeps. The week to stay inside approaches them. They need to be ready.

The beta wants to fight the order. They have enough, Harvey insists, they have plenty to get through the week and then some. They can’t push their luck any more than what they have, it’s too risky. But the alpha growls deep in his chest, and the beta backs down. Alpha will get his way.

Chris wakes them at sunrise again. Whispers of complaints echo and the beta is defiant, refusing to hide his displeasure. The omegas shuffle all of the duffles onto their shoulders and retreat to the entrance of the camp as Harvey approaches Chris with a certain level of calm on him.

The lion tilts his chin up and squares his shoulders for the extra height. His ears lay flat against his hair, his tail curling around his forearm in an effort to express an unwillingness to fight. The message fails, as Harvey takes the movement to draw attention to his prowess. He is not intimidated. He will stand up to his alpha.

Harvey leans his shoulders toward Chris, giving a stern look while he kept his belly at a safe distance. He’s in Chris’ face now, showing off for himself while staying cautious. The scent in the air shifts, and Chris’ nostrils twitch. Moving fast, startling the beta, Chris plants his hand on Harvey’s cheek and turns his face away. It’s what they both need if they’re going to survive the week. Break the contact until they’ve returned safe.

Grabbing Harvey by the back of the neck, Chris leads him to the opening of their safe haven. The omegas sniffle and glance, relaxing only when Chris growls at them to focus as he opens the door. They all shuffle out, Harvey keeping his eyes downcast as he takes his duffles from Isaac. When their hands graze, Isaac’s skin runs cold as a fever spikes. Chris notices and hurries them along.

**Author's Note:**

> Also, for reference: Chris is a lion hybrid, Isaac and Harvey are wolf hybrids, and Eli is a cat hybrid.
> 
> If you like this, please consider commissioning me. ♡  
> You can find my commission info on my Tumblr here: https://benoitbark.tumblr.com/post/176062719827


End file.
